MITIGATION FOR BASEMENTS
**To get a definition, place your cursor over the BURGUNDY words.**
There are several ways available to help lower the Radon level in your home, please consider one of the following types of MITIGATION systems.
Since basements are foundations that are placed in the ground, they may be the most allowing of the structures in helping Radon enter your home. In homes with this type of foundation, radon is usually reduced by one of five types of soil suction, please read about each of the solutions below and consider which would be best for your home
Active Sub Slab Suction: (also referred to as Sub Slab Depressurization) This technique is the most common and the most reliable reduction method. Suction pipes are inserted through the floor slab into the crushed rock or soil beneath. They also may be inserted below the concrete slab from outside the house. The number and location of suction pipes that are needed depends on how easily air can move in the crushed rock or soil under the slab, and on the strength of the Radon source. A contractor usually gets this information from visual inspection, from diagnostic tests, and/or from experience. Acting like a vacuum cleaner, a fan connected to the pipes draws the Radon gas from below the house and releases it into the outdoor air. Or, you can use Passive Sub Slab Suction.
Passive Sub Slab Suction: The same as the above method, except that it relies on air currents instead of a fan to draw radon up from below the house. Passive sub slab suction is generally not as effective in reducing high radon levels as active sub slab suction.
Drain Tile Suction: Some houses have drain tiles to direct water away from the foundation of the house, suction on these drain tiles is often effective in reducing radon levels if the drain tiles form a complete loop around the foundation.
Sump Hole Suction: This is a variation on Drain Tile Suction. Often, when a house with a basement has a sump pump to remove unwanted water, the sump can be capped so that it can continue to drain water and serve as the location for a Radon suction pipe.
Block Wall Suction: This method can be used in basement houses with hollow block foundation walls. This method removes Radon from the hollow spaces within the basement's concrete block wall. It is often used together with sub slab suction.
The Next Step: CHOOSING A CONTRACTOR
*PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT YOUR HOME SHOULD BE TESTED AFTER INSTALLING ANY MITIGATION SYSTEM TO MEASURE IF AND HOW WELL THE SYSTEM IS WORKING. BOTH MEASUREMENTS SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN THE SAME AREA AND UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS.*
Questions/Comments, e-mail: Dr. Steck
Last revised : 22 July, 2009
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